


Of Quests & Memories

by glkrose



Category: Let's Play (Webcomic)
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Alternate Universe, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-07
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-13 17:42:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29904729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glkrose/pseuds/glkrose
Summary: Ben was looking for a new quest. What he didn’t expect was to escort a lost young woman named Sam throughout the forest as she searches for her family. As they go on this journey together, the two of them learn more about each other’s pasts while trying to find a path to their future together.A Ruminate-set AU
Relationships: Marshall Law/Sam Young (Let's Play)
Kudos: 5





	1. Chapter 1

One would think that saving a kingdom from a dragon, Ben would feel like the hero he always wanted to be. But the reality is that he felt more hollow and empty than before.

There was a listless feeling that nothing could shake. The reward money felt heavy in his pocket as he wanted to do more than just drink and pass the time. He loved having a purpose, a quest. Was this why heroes often have lives that end in tragedy? That they’ll never accomplish anything great again leaves them with feelings of inadequacy?

He shook his head as he walked into the next village. The queen and her husband were grateful, but there was immense sadness in their eyes. He noticed the signs about the missing princess and figured that must be weighing on them. If only he could help them with that, but he had no idea where to start.

Drinking for days on end had finally gotten old. Fucking any woman who wanted him did too. Was this what his life would be like now? A glimpse of glory and now, nothing. At least he had his lute. He found that his favorite time of day was messing around on that, coming up with some truly filthy songs. So, he journeyed on and on, village to village, looking for something, anything that could make him feel alive again. He sighed and entered the latest pub.

It was a nicer pub than the previous few. Especially given that this village wasn’t much to brag about. He noticed some other adventurers and almost asked if they had something going on, but he ultimately held back. Being part of team felt foreign to him even though he missed the camaraderie.

“What can I get you?” a female voice asked.

Ben looked up and almost lost his breath. The barmaid was quite lovely. Brown hair and eyes, a nice figure. And there was something familiar about her.

“I’m sorry, have we met before?” he returned.

“No,” she responded with a bit of force. “What would you like to drink?”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure. I’ve never seen you before in my entire life.”

Ben grimaced. She had to get pick-up lines like that a lot, and he instantly wished he could disappear. “I apologize. I’ll have a pint of your special ale.”

“Coming right up.”

He watched as she returned to the bar and got his drink. But he couldn’t get over the feeling that he had somehow met her before. He vowed to at least get her name in a non-creepy way when she gave him his drink. However, it looked like her shift was up or perhaps he had screwed up everything as she didn’t come back to his table. A gruff male placed his ale on the table in a rough manner spilling some of its contents.

‘I deserve that,’ he thought as he took his first sip.

Ben wound up staying in the pub for dinner waiting for the barmaid to reappear. The food wasn’t bad, but he did wind up drinking more than expected. And then, he joined in a card game with some of the other patrons. The night turned into a blur he wasn’t used to anymore.

“Hey,” someone said shaking him. “You can’t sleep here.”

“Huh?” He blinked open his eyes and realized that the pub had closed. Completely empty except for whoever woke him up. “I didn’t realize I drank that much.”

He stumbled a bit getting up, but a hand steadied him. A woman’s hand. He tilted his head and noticed it was the barmaid from earlier. “You’re back!”

Her eyes grew large. “You’re drunk.”

“I really want to apologize for what happened earlier. I don’t know what came over me.”

“It’s fine,” she replied tightly.

“No, it’s not. You probably deal with gross guys like me all day long.”

“You’re not gross.”

He gave her a small grin. “Ah? So, can I ask for your name?”

“My name is Sam.”

“Hello, Sam. I’m Ben.”

“Nice to meet you, Ben. Now I would really like to get to close up the pub, so if you could speed things up?”

“Can I help?”

“That’s unnecessary.”

“No, no! I want to. Please let me help to prove I’m not a creep.”

She looked him over and sighed. “Fine.” She threw a rag at him and pointed at the tables. “Clean those. Please.”

Ben nodded and got to work.

~

Sam couldn’t believe that he actually listened to her. She’d been dealing with drunk patrons for the past few months and none of them had actually offered to help and then done it. He did make her uncomfortable at first, but now it felt like there was an ease between them. Something she hadn’t expected.

She wiped up the bar and made sure to count the night’s earnings.

“Anything else?”

Sam let out a little squeak as Ben was in her line of sight again.

“No, I’m fine. Thank you for your help. Good night.”

He wasn’t moving. Why wasn’t he moving?

“I can give you some money…” she offered.

“It’s not about money. I actually only just got to this village and have no idea where to stay.”

She raised an eyebrow and began reaching for the staff under the counter.

“Is there an inn?” he asked.

Sam dropped the staff and sighed internally. “Yes, there is an inn a few doors down. Ask for Dee.”

“Thank you.”

Her attention went back to the money. He was still standing in front of her. “What now?” she asked in exasperation.

“I would like to walk you home.”

She whipped her head up and stared at him. There was nothing malicious in his eyes, just a genuine concern to get her back safely.

“You really aren’t from around here.”

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

“I haven’t decided yet.”

“So?”

“It’s a waste of time as I merely live upstairs.”

“Ah.”

“I appreciate your chivalry, but you may leave.”

“Alright.” He walked back to his table and grabbed his bag and lute. “Good night Sam. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Good night Ben.” She gave him a smile and watched him leave. “What a strange man.”


	2. Chapter 2

Ben woke up the next morning refreshed despite all the drinks he had the night before. He couldn’t even remember the last time he drank like that, but he didn’t like it and vowed to stop. Again. Though it had led him to talk to that barmaid more.

“Sam,” he whispered as he got ready for his day.

He wandered around a bit to get a lay of the land before returning to the pub. It was a nice village. He could see why people decided to live there, but something was still missing for him.

Noticing Sam behind the bar, he decided to sit there.

“Hello Sam.”

“Hello Ben. How was your night at Dee’s?”

“It was good. Thank you for the recommendation.”

“How long are you planning on staying?”

“Already sick of me, huh?”

“I saw your lute last night. We don’t usually get musicians here.”

“I never said I was a musician.”

“Then, why do you have a lute?”

He pondered. “I can play the lute, but it’s not my job.”

“What is your job then?”

“I haven’t decided.”

Ben could tell that she was growing irritated with him, so he decided to learn more about her instead.

“Did you grow up here?”

“No.” Her eyes shuttered.

“I didn’t mean to make you upset.” His hand hovered as he debated reaching out to touch her.

“You didn’t. It’s just…can I tell you a weird story?”

Surprised by the fact that she might actually trust him, he nodded.

“I have no memories before three months ago.”

“What?”

“I woke up in a forest a few months back, some travelers found me and brought me here. I can’t remember anything before that except my name.”

His brow furrowed. “That is very strange.”

“I don’t really know what I’m doing with my life either, but I wish I could remember my family.”

An idea started brewing in Ben’s head.

“Do you have any clues?”

She scrunched her nose. “Not really. I found this bracelet near where I woke up.”

It was simple, gold with a charm of a bird on it. It also looked familiar to Ben. He couldn’t quite place it, but he had seen that bracelet before.

“Are you trying to find your family?”

“I’d like to, but I can’t really afford to ask anyone for help right now. I had no money and only started working here when they dropped me off. I’ve been saving, but…”

“I’ll do it.”

“Do what?”

“Help you find your family.”

“Ben, I just told you…”

“I’m not going to charge you. I’ve been feeling restless since my last quest.”

Sam’s eyes lit up. “You went on a quest? I thought you were just a bard!”

“Are you saying bards can’t have quests?”

“Not successful ones,” she teased.

“I’ll have you know I beat a dragon.”

“You did not.”

“I did! I swear it!”

She blinked and said softly, “I believe you.”

“Glad to hear it. Now, when did you want to leave?”

“I feel like we should have more of a general idea of where we’re heading before setting out.”

“That bracelet looks like something I saw in the kingdom.”

“The kingdom? How far away is that?”

“It took me a little over a week to get here. With you, we might need more breaks, but it shouldn’t be longer than a month. Are you in?”

~

Sam stared at him and pondered over his question. Was she ready to leave the short-lived comforts of this village to find out who she really was? It was a big step, and she barely knew Ben, but there was something inside that was telling her to go. To go with him.

“I don’t know if I can just leave here. I was extremely lucky to get this job…”

“And I’m sure if we don’t succeed, you’ll be able to come back. Or start a new life somewhere else we see along the way.”

She couldn’t believe how much she trusted this man already. And that he was expecting nothing in return.

“And you really don’t want any compensation?”

She wasn’t used to this type of kindness. The men she encountered hadn’t been brutes, but she was always wary of them for some reason. Probably something to do with her past. Her past that she could finally get some answers about.

“I told you, I’m restless. I finished a quest, got my reward, and have felt awful ever since. Being a hero isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, I guess. I want to help people. I want to help you.”

“You don’t even know me.”

“Ah, well. That can be compensation. Getting to know you, I mean.”

She thought she spotted a small blush on his cheek. That was also something she wasn’t used to. A man finding her attractive or interesting. Sam took a deep breath.

“Okay, let’s go on an adventure.”

“Wonderful!” He stuck out his hand, and she shook it. Something like a fire went through her when she touched him. It was a shock, but she held on. She felt brave and bolder than before.

~

The next few days were spent getting their plans ready. Sam had to let the owner know she was leaving, while Ben tried to figure out the best way to go. He wanted her to see certain places in the hopes that it might make her remember more than she had.

This wasn’t the type of quest he thought he would like, but it was almost as though he was drawn to her. He wanted to get her safely wherever she needed to go. He wanted to see her happy. Maybe this was his purpose: making others happy while searching for his own version of it.

The day of their departure had arrived, leaving Sam conflicted. Had she grown attached to this small village? The same patrons day in and day out. The shops that never changed. But she wanted to change. Or at least know who she once was. That fiery feeling in her stomach hadn’t gone away, and it seemed to pulse the closer she was to Ben.

She arrived at their meeting spot with a small pack of clothes and some food. The first leg was going to be long according to Ben as there wasn’t anywhere to stay for a few miles. At first, she didn’t see him and worried he had abandoned her. Despite their days planning, she knew deep down that he didn’t need to help her and could very well decide to leave without saying goodbye. He didn’t owe her anything.

While her head kept going over more and more negative situations, there was a tap on her shoulder. She turned around and faced Ben. And two horses.

“Ready to go, Sam?”

“We didn’t discuss horses.”

“Are you scared of a horse? He’s very gentle.”

“I’m not scared of the horse. It’s that I don’t know how to ride one.”

“Oh. Right. That makes sense.” He took a breath as he tried to figure out a solution. “Would you feel comfortable riding with me?”

“As in holding onto your waist?”

He winked. “Yes.”

“Will it be that much longer if we abandoned the horses altogether?”

“No, I was only looking out for you and your comfort level. If you want to walk the whole time without horses, we can do that.”

“Thank you.”

“This is your adventure too. I won’t force you to do anything you don’t want to.”

Sam rolled her eyes. “Adventure. To who knows what.”

“Exactly. That’s what makes it more exciting.” His eyes shone, and the flame flared again. “I’ll go return these.”

She nodded and watched him go back to the stable. After the horses were left with their original owner, he moved quickly to be back at her side.

“Shall we get going?” he asked with a smile.

“Yes.” She smiled back.


End file.
